Author Topic: Alembic spoiler: Example prices and good for slap bass? (Read 801 times)

lscolman · « **Reply #45 on:** May 30, 2009, 07:34:21 AM »

Hi fc,

I suspect that the seller has not measured the neck correctly, but as you say it could well be a 34?

I'll sell the fretfx set I have and order another if it turns out to be a 32 neck.

Thanks for the advice.

Cheers, Lee

lscolman · « **Reply #46 on:** June 01, 2009, 07:01:02 AM »

Hi,

Can anyone with a spoiler take a profile of the neck against the body of the bass? I've just picked up the spoiler, but the neck seems to drop quite a bit from parallel with the body. Is this normal on a spoiler?

Thanks in advance

Cheers, Lee

lscolman · « **Reply #47 on:** June 01, 2009, 08:16:33 AM »

Sorry, what I mean't was take a picture of the profile of the neck against the body.

Cheers, Lee

adriaan · « **Reply #48 on:** June 01, 2009, 11:52:19 AM »

IME the neck is angled slightly backwards. I've posted some shots of my Spoiler here.

And here's a one I didn't want to post on that thread, but it seems appropriate here:

lscolman · « **Reply #49 on:** June 02, 2009, 02:01:37 AM »

Hi adriaan,

Thanks for that. My neck is exactly the same as that. I think the angle of the top horn, makes it looks as though the neck drops away quite quickly, but it is straight.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers, Lee

adriaan · « **Reply #50 on:** June 02, 2009, 02:58:08 AM »

True, the angles can be deceiving. The neck does drop away, but not by much.

When you look at the peghead from normal playing position it looks like it leans over away from you, but it most certainly does not.

precarius · « **Reply #51 on:** June 02, 2009, 04:00:41 AM »

Lee- Congratulations on the new bass!
Mike

lscolman · « **Reply #52 on:** June 03, 2009, 11:36:02 AM »

Finally had some time with the bass, as I've been away on business, and it's fantastic! The tone is just what I'm looking for, and I'm really pleased with my purchase.

I've cleaned up the bridge, tailpiece and nut and they have come up like a new pin.

I would like to renew the switch, as this quite tarnished. I'll renew the washer and nut for the input.

For a 23 year old bass, I am well pleased.

The previous owner had the action high enough to get a bus through. I've dropped it down really low, and there's not a hint of fret buzz. Neck seems to be straight, and does not appear to need adjustment at all.

Once the knobs arrive from Alembic, I'll post some good quality pics.

Does anyone else think that the spoilers would look even better with gold coloured tuners? I may purchase a set, just to see how they look.

I'd like to thank everyone who replied, and REALLY helped me with my first Alembic purchase.

Cheers, Lee

adriaan · « **Reply #53 on:** June 04, 2009, 01:30:02 AM »

Lee,

Glad to hear you're happy with the bass, and that you're not afraid to do your own setup - excellent!

Chrome tuners appear to have been standard issue with Alembic during the 1980s. One thing to consider with replacement tuners is that the existing screw holes may not match the layout of the new tuners.

I notice you have a lot of windings on the tuners. About 2 windings is enough, really.

lscolman · « **Reply #54 on:** June 04, 2009, 05:00:13 AM »

Hi Adriaan,

The pictures show the strings that were on it when I bought it. With the new strings, I have 3 to 4 winds on each post now. The setup was really quick.

Cheers, Lee

David Houck · « **Reply #55 on:** June 15, 2009, 03:50:03 PM »

Congrats Lee!

Adriaan, just to add to the discussion about tone settings; I stuck a BBE Sonic Maximizer in my rack, and so far it has made the process of getting my tone right exponentially more difficult. The auto setting was, for me, useless; so I'm making manual adjustments. And it seems to be the case that any time I make an adjustment to tone anywhere in the signal chain, I have to remember to take in consideration the BBE and make a corresponding adjustment there as well. It really puts in perspective the idea of whether 8 or 15db of Q is harsh, since the smallest of adjustments on the BBE completely changes the effect of the Q. The positives of the BBE sound nice, which is why it's still in the rack at the moment; but the negatives may eventually outweigh the positives.

I should mention that my experience with the BBE is related to how I have my rig set up, and shouldn't be construed to be indicative of how the BBE would sit in anyone else's rig.

adriaan · « **Reply #56 on:** June 16, 2009, 01:08:47 AM »

Dave, I'm guessing the BBE produces a similar effect to SWR's aural enhancer, which is a tool I'm more familiar with. On an SWR, you don't want to add too much enhancement. When you turn up the volume, you turn down the enhancer, if you keep it up the lows get terrribly muddy. I remember Paul TBO getting frustrated with the lows from his rig if he used the SWR amp, and this went away when he turned down the enhancer.

The BBE is probably messing around at the same frequencies as the Q switch, boosting or scooping an already boosted range. It's not like you're adding some gentle EQ there ...

Happy tone hunting!

[edit]
Wasn't this the original Aphex Aural Exciter? As far as I recall, it was invented to put the sparkle back into recorded (analogue) material.

(Message edited by adriaan on June 16, 2009)

David Houck · « **Reply #57 on:** June 16, 2009, 07:55:07 PM »

It's similar in design to the Aphex. Unlike the enhancer on the SWR, there are separate controls for the low end and high end.

lscolman · « **Reply #58 on:** June 18, 2009, 11:24:49 PM »

Hello again,

I've now added gold gotohs to my spoiler, and they look fantastic. I can't see why these were not fitted as standard. They really look the business.

I placed my order for all three knobs on 28th May, and the order hasn't moved yet. I called two weeks ago, and was told there was a backlog for the smaller orders. Three e-mail requests have gone unanswered.

Is anyone else experiencing problems with orders over the last three weeks?

I can't take you any pic's until I have the knobs.

Cheers, Lee